Where does “Groenland” come from?
Groenland (Dutch) comes from Dutch land, from Dutch landnaam, from Dutch naam, from Middle Dutch nāme, from Old Dutch namo, from Proto-West Germanic namō, from Proto-Germanic namô, from Proto-Indo-European h₁nómn̥ — to name.
Ancestry of “Groenland”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | land | land; country; land |
| 2 | Dutch | landnaam | Uncommon form of landsnaam |
| 3 | Dutch | naam | name |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | nāme | — |
| 5 | Old Dutch | namo | name |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | namō | name |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | namô | name |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁nómn̥ | name |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃neh₃- | to name |